My spaceship - the arena for my games - is modular. It is made up of elements similar in size but varying in their function. Reorganizing the type and number of element gives a new spaceship.
From the rules..
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| MODULAR MAT ELEMENTS GIVE FLEXIBILITY |
DU©K!
Action takes place on abandoned spaceships. The crews of these ships
have been killed, have fled or remain holed-up somewhere in the hull.
Verminators are sent by DF Pest Control Division to clean-out the
ships so they can be put back into commission.
In
the DF galaxy there are no Death Stars or Hyperdrives or Behemoth
size vessels. The ships are built economically. One corporation, Deep
Freight, has a totopoly on space travel and this means the designs
are standardised.
Wealthy people do not emigrate or choose to spend a chunk of their life in uncertain cryo-sleep. Speeding round the interstellar vastness in a red Mazerati is dull when the nearest audience is a few parsecs away. The poor and the dispossesed do not give a fig about the steel coffin they are sent off-world in. It should just get them to the promised land. Thus, dull spaceships.
Also, to date, no technologically capable life forms have been encountered.
Alien spaceships do not exist in-DU©K!
SHIP
CONSTRUCTION AND SHIP TYPES
All
ships are constructed from modules which have a specific function.
Not all ships have all modules. All ships must have a Bridge Module ,
Propulsion Module and Engineering Module.
Table
1 list the modules available.
It is
possible for large ships to have more than 1 module of each type. For
example, to accommodate a large crew, give extra cargo space etc. The
basic ships have 1 module of each type other than CARGO and
PROPULSION.
Ships
for different roles in the DF Galaxy are grouped into classes. Table
2 lists the characteristics of each class.
FAQ
for -DU©K! SHIPS
Why
are all the modules the same size ?
The
game concept is to be cheap and easy and fun as well as a reasonablerepresentation of a Sci Fi universe. The use of identical square
tiles allows for a flexible game terrain system.
Why
only 1 module of most types ?
A
big ship takes time to explore. It is possible to construct large ships if you have the space and time but the basic concept does not
need that. Enough challenge exists with a dozen or so modules.
Exploring RAMA would take more then an evening and be mostly boring.
Where
are the corridors ?
Corridors
take space and cost money. Space exploration in the DF Galaxy is done
economically. Unused space is a waste of money. Additionally, the D&D
default tactic of lurking in corridors between episodes of action in
isolated rooms is one not to be emulated. Practically speaking,
corridors have an economic impact on the gamer’s pocket (more
walls, more doors), the length of time to play a game, and work
counter to the basic modular terrain concept. Ergo, no
corridors on basic spaceship designs.
Are
the ships really so square on the outside ?
You
can take the modular system to be partially conceptual and allow for
smoother external forms for your ships. But, this does not matter in
relation to travel in a vacuum or the aesthetics of ship appearance.
DF is a money-making concern and bolting cubes together with a basic
paint job is entirely consistent with their operational strategy.
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| MODULE FUNCTION ICONS FOR CONSTRUCTING SHIPS |
